Dairy-Free Banana Pudding Ice Cream Trifles

Banana pudding is more than just a tasty dessert.

It’s comfort food. It’s part of family memories. It’s beloved by young and old. Hell, simply put, it’s a staple food in the South.

For me, it started young with my grandma’s famous banana pudding at family get-togethers. I’d remind her before every gathering not to forget it until eventually my requests became too many and it was time for me to learn to fish…so to say.

Banana pudding was actually the first dessert I ever learned to make, standing alongside my grandma in her kitchen.

We started simple: vanilla pudding mix, chopped bananas and vanilla wafers layered in a bowl and chilled in the refrigerator.

Voilà. Banana pudding.

If I wasn’t hooked before, I definitely was after realizing how simple it was to make.

Years later, when I got my first ice cream maker, it only made sense that one of the first flavors I’d attempt would be my own version of Banana Pudding Ice Cream.

But instead of stopping there, I turned it into individual banana pudding ice cream trifles with fresh bananas, vanilla wafers and whipped topping layered throughout.

Because apparently regular banana pudding wasn’t enough for me.

What Are Banana Pudding Ice Cream Trifles?

Think of these as a mash-up between two of my favorite desserts:

banana pudding + homemade ice cream.

The base is a creamy coconut milk banana ice cream with crushed vanilla wafers mixed right into it.

Then, instead of simply scooping the finished ice cream into a bowl, I layer it with more fresh banana slices, vanilla wafers and whipped topping to create individual little trifles.

You get creamy ice cream, fresh banana and pieces of vanilla wafer in basically every bite.

Why You’ll Love This Banana Pudding Ice Cream

Besides the obvious nostalgia factor, I love this recipe because it’s:

• Dairy-free
• Made with full-fat coconut milk
• Filled with real banana
• Loaded with vanilla wafers
• Easy to assemble into individual desserts
• Perfect for summer gatherings and dinner parties
• Basically banana pudding and ice cream in one dessert

And yes, there’s a slightly unexpected ingredient involved.

Coffee.

Stay with me.

What You’ll Need

You don’t need a huge ingredient list for these banana pudding ice cream trifles.

Full-fat coconut milk: This creates the dairy-free ice cream base. Definitely use full-fat rather than light coconut milk for a creamier texture.

Bananas: You’ll use banana in the ice cream itself and additional fresh slices when assembling your trifles.

Vanilla wafers: An essential part of banana pudding as far as I’m concerned. Some get crushed into the ice cream and you’ll use more for layering.

Brewed coffee: Yes, coffee. It helps balance the coconut flavor and lets the banana stand out more.

Coconut sugar: For sweetness.

Vanilla extract: Because banana pudding without vanilla would just feel wrong.

Egg yolk: I use one for an even richer, creamier texture.

Dairy-free whipped topping: For layering and finishing your individual trifles.

Why Is There Coffee in Banana Ice Cream?

You may have noticed that one cup of brewed coffee seems like a very strange ingredient to put in banana pudding ice cream.

I get it.

But I’ve made this recipe both with and without the coffee, and I prefer it with.

Something about the coffee helps combat some of the coconut flavor from the coconut milk and brings the banana flavor more to the forefront.

You’re not trying to make coffee-banana ice cream here. The coffee is working more like a supporting flavor.

Trust me on this one.

Or make it both ways and let me know which version you prefer.

Do I Need the Egg Yolk?

For my Dairy-Free Coffee Ice Cream, I’m pretty adamant about keeping the egg yolk because it makes a noticeable difference in creaminess.

This recipe is a little different.

The banana itself helps create a creamier texture as it blends into the coconut milk base, so technically you can leave the egg yolk out.

Personally?

I still use it.

It’s part of my original recipe, I like the richness it adds and I’m a creature of habit.

If you do leave the egg out, make sure the other ingredients you’re using—particularly your vanilla wafers and whipped topping—fit your dietary preferences if you’re trying to make the entire dessert vegan.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: VEGAN COFFEE COOKIES AND CREAM ICE CREAM

Do You Need an Ice Cream Maker?

For my version, yes.

The ice cream maker churns the chilled coconut milk mixture and helps create the creamy frozen texture we’re after.

If you’ve been following along with my homemade ice cream recipes, you’ll notice it’s one of those kitchen appliances I actually use for multiple recipes rather than buying it for one random Pinterest experiment and forgetting about it.

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Helpful tools for this recipe:

Ice cream maker

Reusable ice cream container

Individual trifle cups or dessert glasses

For this recipe, I particularly like the idea of using individual glass dessert cups because the layers are half the fun.

How to Make Banana Pudding Ice Cream

Start by combining your full-fat coconut milk, brewed coffee, vanilla and coconut sugar in a saucepan and bringing the mixture to a light simmer.

If you’re using the egg yolk—and I do—temper it first by slowly whisking some of the warm coconut milk mixture into the yolk.

Then gradually whisk the tempered yolk back into the saucepan.

Let the mixture simmer for another couple of minutes before removing it from the heat.

Allow the mixture to cool completely, then refrigerate it for at least eight hours. Overnight works perfectly.

Once everything is completely chilled, add the mixture to your ice cream maker along with one chopped banana.

About halfway through churning, add a handful of crushed vanilla wafers.

And just like with the Oreos in my coffee ice cream: don’t pulverize them.

We want pieces.

How to Make Individual Banana Pudding Ice Cream Trifles

Once your banana pudding ice cream is finished, this is the fun part.

Grab your individual dessert glasses and start layering:

Vanilla wafers → fresh banana slices → banana pudding ice cream → whipped topping

Then repeat.

Do as many layers as your glass—and your heart—will allow.

Finish with a little extra crushed vanilla wafer on top and another banana slice if you’re feeling fancy.

Voilà.

You now have individual banana pudding ice cream trifles.

Tips for the Best Banana Pudding Ice Cream

Use full-fat coconut milk. The extra fat makes a big difference in homemade dairy-free ice cream.

Use ripe bananas. You want bananas with plenty of natural sweetness and banana flavor.

Don’t rush the chilling process. Your ice cream base needs to be completely cold before you churn it.

Leave some texture in your wafers. Banana pudding needs those little bites of vanilla wafer.

Add fresh banana immediately before serving. Cut bananas brown relatively quickly, so I wouldn’t assemble these hours in advance.

Let frozen homemade ice cream soften before scooping. Around 10 minutes at room temperature usually makes it much easier to work with.

Can I Make These Ahead of Time?

You can definitely make the ice cream ahead of time.

In fact, that’s what I’d recommend.

Make your banana pudding ice cream, store it in the freezer and then assemble the individual trifles shortly before serving.

I wouldn’t fully assemble the trifles too far in advance because the fresh banana can brown and the vanilla wafers will continue softening as they sit.

A little softness is part of banana pudding.

Complete vanilla-wafer mush? Not quite what we’re going for.

How to Store Banana Pudding Ice Cream

Keep the homemade ice cream in an airtight, freezer-safe container.

Like most homemade coconut milk ice creams, it can freeze fairly firm, so let it sit at room temperature for around 10 minutes before scooping.

Store the bananas and vanilla wafers separately and assemble fresh trifles as needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is banana pudding ice cream dairy-free?

This version is. I use full-fat coconut milk rather than dairy milk or heavy cream for the ice cream base.

You’ll also need to use a dairy-free whipped topping if you want the finished trifles to remain completely dairy-free.

Is this recipe vegan?

Not when I make it because I prefer including the egg yolk.

You can omit the egg yolk from this particular ice cream because the blended banana contributes to its creamy texture, but you’ll also need to check your vanilla wafers and whipped topping if you’re trying to make the entire dessert vegan.

Why add coffee to banana ice cream?

I found that brewed coffee helps tone down the coconut flavor of the coconut milk and allows the banana to stand out more.

It sounds strange, but I’ve tested the recipe both ways and prefer the version with coffee.

Can I make banana pudding ice cream without an ice cream maker?

I haven’t developed this particular recipe as a no-churn ice cream, so I recommend using an ice cream maker for the intended texture.

What bananas are best for banana pudding?

Use ripe yellow bananas with plenty of banana flavor, but avoid bananas that have become so soft that they’re difficult to slice for your trifle layers.

A Little Piece of Grandma’s Banana Pudding

The thing I love most about this recipe isn’t really the coconut milk or the ice cream maker or even the individual little trifles.

It’s that it started with my grandma.

Banana pudding was the first dessert I learned to make with her, and years later I found myself taking that same combination of bananas, vanilla and wafers and turning it into something completely different.

The method may have changed a little.

My love for banana pudding definitely hasn’t.

Xx Sylvia